Teacher
by Connie rose
Summary: It's Davey's first day of work at his new job. He's going to be a teacher at his old high school. Written for the 4th circulation of the Newsies Pape Selling competition.


**Hi, all!**

 **As always, look for a mini-history lesson at the end, but if you want to know more about the school where Davey teaches, go check out my story** _**Essays**_.

 **Requirements:**

 **Task - Assignment Three: Write about the job of a newsboy after he was too old for the "newsboy profession"**

 **Word count - 798**

* * *

Sunlight was just beginning to filter through the dirt-streaked windows when Davey exited the principal's office. It filled the hall with a ghostly glow that became the school, but seemed to magnify even the smallest sound. The click of the lock echoed down the corridor as Professor Moore turned the key with flourish of his wrist. He set off down the hallway at a brisk pace, and Davey hurried to keep up, their footsteps filling up the empty space around them.

It was funny; despite a change in name and address, Boys High School – now DeWitt Clinton High School—still struck Davey with the same feeling it did when he was a student. Awe, and a bit of trepidation. Schools were places for studying and seriousness, their classrooms as sacred as the teachings of the Torah. Although, with just the two occupants, the building felt empty and hollow, as if he was standing in a skeleton.

Davey had never imagined that he'd end up in a teaching job. School was a useful thing, yes. But it was a stepping stone. You went to school to learn so you could better yourself. But school was full of students who just didn't care. They'd been hard enough to deal with as a student, but teaching them? He was already dreading it.

Still, Davey was determined not to look a gift horse in the mouth. It payed more than any job he had held previously, and had better hours as well. Professor Moore seemed thrilled to have him on the faculty, and was more than willing to show him as much. And who knew? Maybe Les would be right, and he would be an excellent teacher whose students all loved him.

"And here we are, Mr. Jacobs. Room 201. This will be your classroom for the year. You'll find the majority of the materials you may need are already there, but should you need anything, there is a supply closet down the hall, or you may ask one of your fellow English teachers."

When Davey pushed open the door and stepped inside, he was hit full in the face with the stale smell of mothballs and mildew. Sighing, he turned back to Professor Moore.

"This looks excellent, thank you, sir."

"It is I who should be thanking you Mr. Jacobs. You're filling in a demanding teaching position last minute, and saving us quite a bit of trouble." The portly man held out his hand, and Davey shook it wanly. "We are very pleased to have you here, Mr. Jacobs, very pleased indeed. You have an excellent resume –and are an alumnus no less! I'm sure you'll fit right in with the rest of the faculty."

Davey smiled wanly, and the principal surged on. "Well, I will leave you to it, then. The other staff will be here soon, and the students should arrive within the hour. I trust you've familiarized yourself with schedule."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Good." And with that, Professor Moore set off back to his office, presumably to prepare for the day ahead.

After staring off after his new boss for a moment, Davey turned back to the – _his—_ classroom. It was musty, and clearly could have used a good airing-out before the start of the year, but the open windows faced inwards on the courtyard and filled the room with plenty of natural light. It was more than sufficient for a classroom.

His desk was already piled high with materials, and he made short work of organizing it. All pencils went into a cup on his right, the chalk and ruler into the drawer on his left. He made one pile for papers he'd need to pass out, and one for attendance sheets. Everything else went in the drawer on his right-hand side with his lunch.

Heading to the back of the classroom, Davey grabbed a stack of books off the shelves that lined the wall and began setting them out on the students' desks. Each desk received a copy of both _An Introduction to English Literature_ and _The Standard Fifth Reader_. He contemplated assigning seats, but decided against it. He'd despised assigned seats as a student, no doubt his new students would as well.

Noise began to filter up from the floor below, letting Davey know that people had arrived. He gave the room a quick once-over, making sure everything was set for the students. The books were on the desks, and all of his materials were accessible, but something was missing. What was it? _Oh_.

He grabbed a piece of chalk from the drawer and wrote _Mr. Jacobs_ is large, deliberate letters across the blackboard. There. It was official, he was a teacher. Now all that was left to do was to face his new students.

* * *

 **Mini History Lesson:**

 **-Teachers at the Turn of the 20th century-**

 **1) The late 19th century was when teaching really became a women's occupation. This was due to the rapid westward expansion and industrialization of the time**

 **2) Schooling in the northern US was more formalized than that of the south, with more female teachers, formal school districts, and larger differences in the salary of men and women**

 **4) Men who became teachers often had exhausted other carrier paths, or had few opportunities because of their social class or life circumstances**

 **3) As such, male teachers tended to come from lower-middle class backgrounds. They were often able to attain higher social status than their parents as a result**

 **5) In comparison to women, male teachers were more prized. Men also dominated the powerful positions, occupying almost 95% of all high school principalships in 1905**

 **6) Regardless of whether yoou were male of female, unless you were in a high position, teaching was typically looked upon as a temporary occupation: a way for people to tide themselves over until a better opportunity came around**


End file.
